Iran: US to lose if JCPOA is violated

The United States will be on the losing side, if the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is violated, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi said.

“If the U.S. violates the JCPOA, Iran will have all its options on the table,” Salehi stressed in the interview with Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen TV, Aug 8.

The Iranian official, nevertheless, noted that, since, besides the United States, the deal involved other governments and organizations, US departure from it will not be followed by negative consequences.

“In case when JCPOA is violated, US will be responsible, because the International Atomic Energy Agency has so far issued seven reports saying that Iran has always stayed committed to its obligations. Therefore, there are no grounds for the violation of the deal on the part of Iran.”

Reports suggest that Trump administration and radical conservatives in Iran both are ready to walk away from the agreement. Both sides accuse the other of violations, and Trump administration is apparently intends to find a reason not to recertify the agreement, which due for a revision in less than 90 days.

Trump administration and Iran are risking Europe’s strategic interests. The European states had pursued a peaceful, but verifiable agreement on the Iran nuclear issue since the early 2000s and had played the key role in the achievement of the nuclear agreement with Iran.

European Union and its member states were among the key actors in negotiating JCPOA and are now centrally involved in ensuring Iranian adherence to the agreement.

Trump, despite having vowed in his presidential campaign to “tear” the nuclear deal, has already endorsed it twice by extending a stop on the implementation of sanctions, as agreed in the deal.